Clancy
by G. Sun
Summary: After Risa's best friend disappears into thin air, it's up to her to find him. Without him, she can't fulfill the promise to bring herself and Clancy back to their world. But will Knuckles prove to be an obstacle in her way? Who will be the real stone wall stopping Risa from reaching Clancy? Read after DISAPPEARED.
1. Chapter 1

**Poor Risa, there's quite a lot of shit on her plate. This is her last individual story and it makes quite a "finale".**

If Knuckles had not pulled me away from the edge, I would have jumped into the ocean if that is what it takes to find Clancy. He has kept me away from death ever since I got here, I should repay him one day but not today. Today Clancy is my only priority. With the Master Emerald set back in its proper place, Knuckles turns to me in a huff. He looked so peaceful when he and Clancy fell asleep but his usual visage returned when he came back. "What were you thinking? You knew what would happen if you removed the Master Emerald from the island didn't you?"

"Yes," I answer disappointedly.

"You're supposed to be a guardian, you're not supposed to let every person that comes on this island run away with the Master Emerald," reprimands Knuckles. "It's that friend of yours, isn't it? Where the hell is he?"

"I do not know," I cover my face with my hands, whimpering, "I do not know." He growls, shaking off his anger temporarily. "Why do you have to cry all the time?"

"I have never shed a tear in front of you." We sit there without saying a word, the stirring breeze interrupting the tense stillness. I am the one who officially breaks the silence. "Is that all you have to say to me?"

"Of course not! Tell me what happened here." As I sit in front of him on my knees, I clench my fists while trying to internally rebel against the command. My arm's pulse pounds fiercely and my breathing speeds up. "You're not going to talk to me now? You must be covering up for Clancy then."

"I am not," I fib.

"Then tell me what happened!" The tattoo burns like wildfire, it almost makes me want to scratch my left arm until it falls off. Why can I not open my mouth and tell him, it is not like it was my idea to throw away the huge gemstone. Clancy is not here to validate whatever story I tell Knuckles and honestly I do not care how upset Knuckles is about this. All I care about is finding Clancy. "How do I know that you are not going to undermine my words and not believe me?" I mumble.

"How do you expect me to help you if you don't tell me? I'm starting to-to-worry about you," Knuckles falters towards the end of the sentence.

"Do not waste your time. I did not need help when I was at home and I do not need it now," I snap, replenishing Knuckles' anger. I get up and while succumbing to the horrible pain from the tattoo, I scurry down the steps and dash to the forest. Why am I so upset? Knuckles is trying to be helpful and I will not let him be, why? "What is wrong with me?" I ask aloud as I stop beside one of the trees.

"Clancy's waiting for you," says a boy behind the tree I am on. I peek and catch a glimpse of his dark chestnut hair. "You're going to keep him waiting?"

"You are Seth, the one who put Mia in that miserable state," I remind myself aloud, bringing out the broken Keyblade. He releases a sharp breath as if he has exerted himself for a while. "The Master Emerald keeps people like you out of this world, how are you here?"

"Help from a friend."

"I am surprised you can say you have one," I reply, raising the blade at his haggard face. "You were in my village before it disappeared, am I right?"

"Didn't Clancy tell you already? I bet he's still afraid to admit it, he ran didn't he?" Seth tries laughing but then slumps against the tree for support as he grimaces in obvious pain. "He's trying to stop the inevitable."

"Why are you here?" I ask critically, bringing the broken tip to his Adam's apple. Moaning in pain, he turns away and starts to fade into a deep amethyst portal. "You cannot bear to be in this world for too long, the Light is eating you up inside."

"Clancy called for me, he needed me so I gave him a little help," are his parting words before I can question him. He said Clancy is waiting for me but where could he be? On another part of this island maybe? He was implying that Clancy is waiting for me somewhere around here. Knuckles is probably going to follow after me soon, I have to find Clancy before Knuckles finds him. As more clouds gather in the starless sky, I rush to the other end of Angel Island, whipping my head around looking for any signs of a person. It is getting dark, I can barely see anything. "There are so many memories here," I murmur to myself while sprinting and stumbling over broken pedestals. When the Keyblade appears in my right hand, I stop to stare at the periwinkle blade; everything changed when I found this, I like to think my life changed for the better.

An inflamed circle of dark crimson widens under my feet like a bomb exploding. The fiery circle blankets the ruins in deep red while the firmament above is a thick mauve. As I warily observe the surroundings, I find Clancy sitting on a rock at the bottom of an incline. "Clancy there you are! What is happening to you?" I slide down the slope, stopping directly behind him. "What happened back there? Why did you want to get rid of the Master Emerald?"

"It's draining me."

"How can it be-" I recall what I said to Seth earlier, _"…the Light is eating you up inside."_ But that means Clancy has Darkness within him, which does not make sense. "Seth told me that you called for him, do you realize who he is and that he helps no one but himself?" He turns all the way around to me, horrified at the mention of Seth's name and asks, "You saw him? Spoke to him?"

"He said you needed him, what is he talking about? Why was he in the Village of Willow? Clancy you have to tell me these things now, I want nothing more than your utmost honesty." He fiddles with his fingers anxiously until he can finally look at me with his bright hazel eyes.

* * *

_Miriam was scolding me for acting like a child, so I took off to calm down, you know. No, you said no lies right? Miriam didn't make me mad, it was the fact that you were stronger and better than me. I could barely hit you in a fight and you could knock a sword out of my hands and bring me to my knees in minutes. Your dad, the chief, abused you for a long time because he never wanted you to lose. I guessed that's why you would always beat me. I wanted the strength to protect you from him and when I made that resolve in my heart Seth came to me. I met him outside the village after leaving your house. I asked who he was and he told me he was "a friend who heard my plight." I didn't really get it, he came out nowhere and said, "I'm from this faraway island that you don't know about and I heard your heart call out to me, we have similar hearts. There's also someone precious to me, a friend of mine. Hey, what's your name?"_

_"C-Clancy," I stammered. First I thought it was a dream and after slapping myself five times, I knew that he was really standing in front of me. "You're one weird kid Clancy," commented Seth. "With a weird name to boot. I have something that can help you get what you want." _

_Before I could take him up on his offer, I saw you in my peripheral vision running from the house. I had a feeling you and your father got into a fight and I wanted to make sure you were okay, I told him I had to go. "Is that your precious friend?" I nodded and he added mysteriously, "That's what I thought. Go to her, I'll be sure to find you." I went to you to make sure you were okay and I tried to get you to go to that tournament but you were too discouraged. Remember Risa? I had promised to never force you to do anything. Later I went back to my house and there was Seth waiting at my door. "Yo!"_

_"How did you find me?" I inquired in astonishment._

_"Your heart called out to me, remember? I'm always gonna know where you are. Whenever you need me I got your back," exclaimed Seth. He got off the door and got down to business. "Hey, did you think about my offer? You do want to protect your girlfriend don't you?"_

_"She's more like a big sister always looking out for me." You knew I had many friends in the village, I wasn't a lonely child. I made my friends smile and laugh but you were the only one who actually listened to me. You were more than my closest friend Risa, you were a shoulder to lean on, an arm to support me, and an ear always listening to me. When the chief stole your will to rebel against him, I thought that by obtaining whatever power Seth had would renew your spirit. The words soon became my biggest regret, "I'll take it."_

_"There's no turning back after this."_

_"__I'll do _whatever it takes, just give it to me." He told me about a black door I had to look for in the heart in the Willow Forest next door to me and that once I opened it, I would receive some of the power I needed. When I did open it, Seth's voice told me that I would receive a powerful weapon called the Keyblade that could open doors to anything. "Use the power to protect your dear friend but it comes for a price," Seth told me as I played with the Keyblade, hitting it against a willow tree. 

_"What's the price?" I asked._

_"Don't worry about it now Clancy. Just let the new strength consume you," assured Seth._

* * *

"You brought the Heartless to our world?" I have trouble keeping my voice calm. "All to gain power for what? To 'renew my spirit'? Is that why you wanted me to go to the tournament so bad, so you could show off your powers?"

"At first, yes-" I land a rock-hard punch right in his face, knocking him off the rock. "You are no better than Seth," I snap while disappointedly looking at the Seth-to-be on the ground. I will not go down the same road Mia did.

"I'm different from him Risa!" objects Clancy, picking himself up while rubbing the blackening bruise. "When I used some of that power when I was fighting you, I really did a number on you. That's when I snapped out of it and told Seth to take the power he had given me back! He kept telling me that it was too late and there would be no way to get rid of it. After I got sucked into the orb, it brought me to this world that barely had any light-everything was purple and the Heartless were all over the place. Seth said that dark place would be my prison for trying to get rid of the power inside me. I'm sorry Risa, I thought Seth was like me," he explains remorsefully. "He told me he wanted the power to keep his best friend safe and that's how he knew I needed him but he really sensed my desire for power and that was what brought him to our world."

"You two are the same," I deduce sadly, turning away from him and hurrying up the slope. "Two brothers of the Darkness. So tell me, why did you come to the island?" The Keyblade appears in his hand and I catch a glimpse of regret in his eyes. "Seth said he would release me forever and bring me to you unless I did him a favor. He told me my fear of the Darkness inside me suppressed my power and because of that I could break through the Master Emerald's barrier." Like a ghost, he appears in front of me and his Keyblade's tip pointed at me. I quickly knock it out of my face and he charges at me with great speed. "I have to extinguish the Light in this world and you're in my way Risa."

"Stop fighting me Clancy!" I attempt to foot sweep him but he evades it and continuously strikes at me. I can only deflect his attacks for so long, soon he will get me with a quick blow. "Try to fight the Darkness." In response, while trying to assault my face, purple energy outlines his body and he screams as if the Darkness is tearing his skin off and breaking every bone in him. While he is distracted by the pain, I distance myself away from him and thrust my palm into the ground. Thick vines protrude from the dry earth and trap Clancy in the air as he struggles to handle the Darkness that wants to burst out.

"If you can't hurt me Risa-!" shouts Clancy as violet steam arises from my vines. "I'll make you do it!"

"You promised you would never give me an order," I cry out while cringing. I try to cover my ears but it does not work, I hear his brutal command loud and clear, "Risa kill me now!"

"No!" I thrust my hand back in the ground, engulfing him head-to-toe in more spiky vines. Damn it, he is forcing me to do this to him, how can I save him if he wants me to kill him? The vines all snap as Clancy lands on the ground, Darkness seeping from him and his Keyblade. In a flash, he nearly gets me in my side. I roll swiftly enough to only get a tear in my blue and pink kimono and a scratch mark on my hip. It could have been a lot worst if I was not paying attention. "Clancy you can be saved, do not give up. I know you can fight it." My sword hand trembles uncontrollably, craving to shed Clancy's blood.

"End it already Risa, you can't die for me!" his voice is changing, it sounds like there are two Clancys speaking at once, one lower pitched and the other his normal tone. _"I don't want to turn into Seth!"_ He recklessly brandishes his willow tree Keyblade towards me. Every time I block, the Darkness radiating from him become small daggers, cutting my face and more of my clothes. Pieces of cloth flutter in the night breeze. "Clancy if your heart was strong enough to wield the Keyblade, you are strong enough to stop the Darkness. Seth's heart already succumbed but there is still hope for you," I insist, deflecting and dodging most of his blows. This must be how Mia felt when she fought Seth, I understand why you were so desperate Mia. Suddenly Clancy's assault comes to a stop, giving me hope that even thought the Darkness completely covers him, he is winning the fight against it. "You can do it, you have to keep fighting it," I encouragingly urge.

"You really won't do it-then fine…I'll prove that I don't always need you to save me!" Holding the blade part of the sword, he brings the Keyblade's tip to his chest despite his body's obvious protest. Wincing and grimacing, he tries stabbing himself but the Darkness seeping from his hand pulls the Keyblade back. I hurry over to him, grab the handle, and wrestle for his blade. "Clancy stop! Please Clancy…"

"I'm not a child Risa, you can't watch over me forever!" Darkness expels from his Keyblade and I am thrown on my back. He plunges the Keyblade so far into his chest that it juts out from his back. I am too horrified to scream, too afraid to call out his name, too dumb for words. His Keyblade disappears, leaving him with a sizeable blood-drenched wound in his chest. My arm throbs horribly as I watch him drop to the ground; the crimson and violet background fades away as the circle that colored the ruins retracts back to Clancy's body.

"Do not be dead," I murmur as I force my shaking legs to move. "Clancy get up right now." I crawl over to him hastily and cradle him in my arms while pushing his untamed curls out of his eyes. "Please Clancy, open your eyes for me. You idiot, I am supposed to bring us back home alive, I made a promise to myself. How can I break my own promise? Clancy listen to me, _Clancy get up! _I cannot lose you, I cannot lose you!" His eyes open. "Clancy?" The wound in his chest shines a pink light and a rose crystallized heart rises from him. Inside of the heart is a diminishing flame that glows brighter the higher it ascends. "I have to bring us back home, I will not let you die!"

_Crack. _It spreads along his face and travels to his arms and legs. His raw sienna eyes are wide open when the cracks cover it and then he breaks into black particles. All that is left of him is the blood on my hands. I desperately try to gather the hovering particles but they blow away towards the night sky. A raindrop plops on my hand and then the rest precipitates on me and the blood stains on the ground. I can hear his laughter reverberate off each raindrop and his voice with every splatter.

J.G.P.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mia, I'm so glad you're okay!" Mizuki crushes me in a tight hug. "I was gonna go after you but the portal closed on me…and Don saved you right?"

"Yes Mizuki, he did," I giggle as I squeeze my cheeks together. Immediately she brings her head back in utter shock. "Wha-what?" I ask awkwardly.

"You laughed!" Her voice echoes throughout the entire house. "I never thought I would ever see you smile, so you do have a sense of humor. I didn't even have to crack a joke, so did Don-"

"He didn't-" The powerful crackling of the thunder shakes the house for a few seconds. The chandelier chimes while Mizuki gapes at the ceiling. Living on the islands for so long has made me impervious to thunder and lightning. I can also tell if the storm's going to be a quick, wait-it-out storm or if it's a stay-at-home one. "A big storm is coming," I comment. "Do you still want to go to the city?"

"Of course we are, Risa's waiting for us. A little rain won't ruin our lunch plans," she throws her arm around my shoulders. "There's a Mediterranean restaurant called Symposium that reopened, we've gotta check it out."

"Fine," I agree unwillingly, getting up to grab my sneakers. I glance out the open window, watching the harsh rain splash against the net used to keep bugs out. It looks more like the kind of day I would spend relaxing and hanging out with Don. He can't go into the city since he used to work with Egglady and is technically the public's main enemy. Staying inside is the only way for us to spend time together. "You're smiling to yourself again," Mizuki observes as she opens the door for me. "You gotta tell me everything that happened."

By the time we arrive to the front of Symposium, Mizuki coos and squeals excitedly to my embarrassment. Surprisingly we don't see Risa who's usually punctual when we plan these meet ups. "What a romantic story aww! But really, I'm just glad you're okay," Mizuki says joyfully once she stops chuckling over the story. "That's weird, Risa's not here I doubt she'd get lost. Oh maybe she's chillin' with Clancy and forgot about us."

"I don't think she forgot but if she's with Clancy on Angel Island, I'm sure they're stuck there thanks to the rain," I reply suggestively. "We should get them first."

"But Risa's all naturey, this isn't gonna bother her. But good idea, let's go to Angel Island-woaaah!" the powerful breeze pushes us off the sidewalk and into a deep puddle. "Before this storm gets any worse," she adds while shaking her water-filled boots. While struggling to hold our umbrellas, we make it to the beach beneath Angel Island. Lightning flashes within the somber grey clouds, making me worry about how Risa and her friend Clancy are doing. Through the furious winds and the crashing thunder, Mizuki and I hear someone's familiar voice shatter through it all, "NO!"

* * *

I will never forget that hot day, the day I watched Clancy sleep on the grass, blissfully unaware of the world's evils. That Clancy did not know what Darkness was, that Clancy just wanted to go home without worrying about Seth and the Heartless. I should have fought his Darkness for him but my promise to him shattered along with his body.

"_Risa, what happened?! Why are you-?" Knuckles wanted to continue but I could not utter a word. The rain kept coming down, washing some of the blood from my hands. "Risa talk to me, what happened?" he came over and shook my shoulder while I sat there paralyzed in shock. Perhaps deep down I wanted to join Clancy wherever he was, but Knuckles was there and would be strong enough to stop me. I was fixed in that kneeling position, unable to open my mouth for a while until I finally said, "I can hear Clancy". Clearly concerned about me, Knuckles tightened his grip on me. He persisted like he always does but I never answered and he left._

Clancy fell to the Darkness and I could have stopped him. If I had paid attention to him instead of treating him like a kid, this would not have happened. I will never see his innocent smile ever again and it is because of me. Looking down at my hands, seeing his dried blood invokes a nasty feeling within the pit of my stomach. At first I scream, shaking my head and thrusting my hands into the dirt, and then I lift my head to the stormy sky, announcing my pain to the floating island, "Noo!"

An earthquake rattles the island, the stones and rocks beneath my feet conform together, encircling me. The vehement winds blow my hood down but the grief makes me apathetic to my vanity. More and more rocks form a dome around me, trapping me in here with the spot where Clancy died. "Clancy," I sigh as the last of the rocks covers the little light that is left. From far away, I hear people talking among themselves while approaching me.

"Holy shit Risa, are you in there?" Mizuki asks, her voice muffled. "What did you do to her?"

"I left her alone to deal with her feelings, she doesn't want to talk to me," replies Knuckles, high-strung. "It's not my fault she never wants to talk to me."

"Why did this happen Knuckles?" Mia politely asks.

"Clancy. She killed him," affirms Knuckles.

"Bullshit, why would you say something insane like that? That's her best friend, there's no way she would do anything like that," argues Mizuki. "God where did that even come from?"

"Her hands and her dress are covered in blood," insists Knuckles.

"There must be a logical reason as to what's happening. We have to talk to her," Mizuki replies stubbornly. Her footsteps approach the rock dome, I listen to her sigh, and then she yells into the dome, "Risa we need to talk to you, please come out." My arm twitches at the command but I ignore it. "Risa please, just answer me."

"Step aside! Risa, we're coming to get you outta there." I can feel the vibrations from Knuckles' fists demolishing the rocks. My darkness is being lit up by the grey, dispiriting light outside. _Boomboomboomboom-_Knuckles' fists meeting the dome. Why can they not let me listen to Clancy's voice alone? The last boom enables me to hear the raging storm clearly. "I'm trying to help you Risa, just tell me what happened."

I liked the plopping of the rain and the turbulent howls of the wind more than the sound of his voice. He is always shouting, is ill-mannered, and demands to be heard. I want to listen to my silver sword and Clancy's sword clanging against each other. "There's been-something I wanted to ask you for a while. I-it's been bugging me every time I see you-"

Huge spikes from the ground jut out behind me and travel in Knuckles' direction. I hear him grunt, probably jumping back from the dome. "I'm trying to talk to you, listen to me!"

"Well it really is her, I don't see any Darkness coursing through her," shouts Mizuki over the turbulent weather. "Good job Knuckles, you're a smooth talker."

"I'll try talking to her," says Mia, bypassing the spikes and stepping inside the dome. "Is Clancy gone? Did he die? I don't know what happened but if he did, I'm sorry. Losing Seth to the Darkness made me feel really guilty and it took forever for me to forgive myself and that's what you should do." While my arms hang limply, I turn around and punch her into the spikes. She crashes into them hard enough to break two of them as she lands on the ground. "Seth took my friend away because of you," I quietly say, turning back around and slumping back to my spot. Mia is just a reminder of my failure. "Oh shit Mia! You okay?" Mizuki asks.

"I'm fine," moans Mia. "I don't know what she's talking about though."

"Alright I've had enough of this, I'm going back in," Knuckles declares but I hear a girl's footsteps instead. "We're friends aren't we Risa?" demands Mizuki, standing over my head. "Friends don't hurt each other like that, I know you're upset but just tell us what's up. Try to reach out to us otherwise we're gonna lose you…what did Clancy do to you?" when I remain silent, she put a hand on my shoulder. "Come on!"

"He killed himself while I watched. He did not want the Darkness to overtake him like it did to Seth," I reply while looking at my bloody hands. "'Friends do not hurt each other like that' is what you said right? Can you hear Clancy's laughter in the rain?"

"Uh, no."

_"Do you wanna throw berries at Walder's house? It'll be payback for what he said about you yesterday!"_

"That is going to get us in trouble Clancy, we should not do that. "

"We're all worried about you." She is tuning his voice out, I can barely hear him.

"I did not need any of you worrying about me! Too many times you have spent time caring about the wrong people. Where were you when Seth fell into the Darkness?" I point at Mia with abhor, "And where were you when Clancy begged me to take his life?" I scream, making the rocks surrounding the hole tremble. Mizuki backs up from the shaking dome while Mia pats her black eye. "There are other people you should be concerned about, why waste it on someone like me?"

"You're our friend!" pleads Mizuki.

"Leave me alone. Leave me alone," I reiterate the words dolorously. "Leave me alone, leave me alone."

"I'm not doing that Risa."

"Leave me alone so I can join him." A few rocks come apart and fly at Mizuki. With my soiled hands out in front of me, I send a barrage of rocks towards everyone behind Mizuki, forcing them to retreat. The cold rain hits my bare face, running down all of these ugly stigmas. Returning to my spot, the howling winds buffets my back as if telling me to stop. I dig my dirty fingers into the sides of my head, wishing I was brave enough to follow Clancy into death.

We were supposed to be sparing with each other, Clancy and I, in the Village of Willow with silver swords, not with Keyblades. We were supposed to be napping in the Willow Forest, not on Angel Island. We were supposed to be eating Miriam's food, racing each other, having frivolous arguments over stupid things. All of those things were part of a promise I could not fulfill.

"You look pathetic hiding in here." It is the voice of a boy no older than me. But why would he be on the island? "Like you I was a coward and wanted to hide from everyone. I couldn't face the reality that everyone was reminding me of." I squeeze my fists angrily. "Why are you in here throwing a tantrum? I thought you were better than that." Destroying more of my dome, I take more rocks apart with the wave of my hand and send them to Don. Suddenly I am lifted over the ground and slammed face-first into my crumbling rock wall. "Mia didn't cause any of your problems, none of them did. Why are you taking it out on them," he scolds coldly.

"My best friend begged me to take his life and then he did it himself. I lost him...so tell me is it wrong to wish I could have done more," I mutter gloomily. Don slams me into the unstable stone wall softer than he first did. _"_Is it wrong to wish I could have done more?_ Is it wrong to hear his laughter?"_ I cry out as I try to hear Clancy's laughter in the rain once more. Don turns me to face him while pinning me to the wall by my hood; his cross expression makes me cringe back in fear.

"Get over yourself, there wasn't a damn thing you could've done, he was meant to die."

"Fuck you," I snarl while digging my fingers into whatever remains of the dome. Spiky vines wrap around his legs but he remains grounded and firm.

"Punching Mia and hurting the people you care about isn't going to bring him back. He wanted to die-" he drops me without warning, smashing the rock wall with his bare fist intensely. "I had the choice to let my friend live on and kill thousands of people or end her right there. She didn't want to die like your friend did but I shot her twice. Clancy didn't die by your hands, that's not something you have to live with for the rest of your life."

"I promised to bring him home," I whimper, my voice cracking as I lean on Don's vine's covered legs. "I promised…I would carry the responsibility of returning us home." I sniff, my body convulsing a little as my eyes water. The thunder and lightning are gone outside, all that is left is the rain. "And I broke that promise."

"So you're going to scream and hurt others when you don't get your way? I thought I would live in this world with Angelica forever but life doesn't give everything you want," shouts Don unsympathetically, his booming voice echoing around the dome. "Life doesn't give a damn about promises or friendships, it plays us like toys. That's why you have to focus on the friends that are here."

"I had to fulfill my promise-"

"Make a new one! Make it back home for your friend, live on and keep fighting for his sake," bellows Don, softening his tone slightly, "You don't have to stick with a stupid promise for the rest of your life, things change, people change Risa."

"Make it back home for Clancy," I repeat to myself. Then I realize that my arm is throbbing in horrible agony that makes me want to pull my arm off.

"_I'm trying to talk to you, listen to me!"_

"_Try to reach out to us otherwise we're gonna lose you…"_

"…_it took forever for me to forgive myself and that's what you should do."_

"_Risa kill me now…you can't die for me…I'm not a child Risa, you can't watch over me forever!"_

The dome shakes, it is now unstable as I am; Mizuki's and Knuckles' commands force me to shriek as pain washes over me. Before my face meets the ground, Clancy beams at me and he is talking to me again, _"One day I'm gonna be a strong sword fighter and together, you and I would defeat everyone"._ No, he is dead, that is the light peeking through the clouds and everyone shouting.

* * *

"So let me get this straight, Don followed us to Angel Island because he was looking for you," starts Mizuki but I quickly cut her off.

"Mizuki-!"

"And we let him go in there to bring Risa out peacefully-"

"He insisted after I told him what happened."

"Come on Mia, you have a black eye and half of your face is a tomato. Of course he's gonna trash Risa for doing that to you," retorts Mizuki, pacing back and forth as Don's shouts increase in volume. "Clearly this was a mistake!"

"I don't trust him in there with her," says Knuckles skeptically. Risa's sudden wail brings our attention back to the stone dome. In front of our eyes, it collapses all at once just as the rain begins to lighten up. I wipe my wet bangs out of my face and I run with Mizuki and Knuckles to the remains of the dome. "Risa!" We all stop once we see a shadow in the debris moving towards us. When it clears we see Don carrying Risa in his arms, her face covered. "Don what happened?" I ask him.

"What did you do?" demands Knuckles fervently. Mizuki concernedly blurts out, "What the hell did you do to her?" We all wait for the answer but Don walks past us in alarming silence. Everyone follows him out of the ruins, badgering him endlessly as I think of what could have happened. Don was yelling at her in there so they could've gotten into a physical argument. That's the only thing I can think of.

Don lays her down under the roof of the altar roof to keep her dry. "Can't you two see she needs to rest?" he simply says to silence a surprised Mizuki and Knuckles. The severity of his tone is enough to permanently hush both of them. He moves towards the edge of the island alone, staring out to the partially cloudy horizon. I follow him there and study his pensive expression. "She's too much like me. It was like looking into a mirror," he says to me emptily.

* * *

Make it home for Clancy, that will be my new promise to myself. I do not have time to be sleeping on the job like you were, I have things to do today, right Clancy? _"Will you always try to keep me in your heart?" _You never have to ask.

I open my eyes to the clear blue sky, rubbing my eyes and yawning. For a fourteen year old, Don has the wisdom of a sage. He had to remind me to savor the friends I have with me, him of all people. Anyway, the first person I have to apologize to is Knuckles, right away. I get to my feet, run to the top of the altar, and bow when I see him atop the Master Emerald. "I am sorry about my foolish behavior-"

"Why didn't you want to be found when the world was ending?!" he unexpectedly blurts out, "I was really worried about you and you ran away from me. I thought were dead after you followed that guy into the Darkness-I already told you we were friends so why didn't you come looking for me?" I look down at the ground tentatively and then gather the mettle to look him in the eyes.

"I felt too guilty that I left willingly. I assumed you would hate me for leaving so readily and I was not ready to face you. I wanted to hide like a pathetic coward, like I did yesterday, sorry," I explain remorsefully, shivering a little when I see some of the blood still left on my hands. Knuckles jumps off the Master Emerald, still scowling. "I apologize for always bringing trouble to your home, I will do my best to get out of here as quickly as I can."

"Trouble makes being a guardian pretty fun actually," he snorts, holding his hand out. "The guardian job gets boring quick. I'm not gonna let you bottle up your feelings anymore so if you're feeling down…then let's spar. I'll let you beat me to a pulp! We're friends…so you shouldn't…have to be afraid of me like that."

"Even when you yell and shout?"

"Yeah," he chuckles, slightly abashed. "Are we gonna start fresh?"

"Of course," I shake his hand gladly. "Guardians have to work well together." Both of us squint as the sun peeks out from the horizon and glares at us. I will work hard for both of us Clancy, actually not just us two, Mizuki and Mia also. No more afternoon snoozes for me.

J.G.P.

**And that was really long cuz this the last "individual" story for everyone. If you're worried about what this means, it means from now on it's gonna be all my girls together in great, lengthy stories. I think this was a fitting closing story for Risa and it ties in with the other main characters so yeah. I hope everyone enjoyed Risa with some real emotion (finally!) and get ready for the upcoming epic I'm really excited for! **


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